Leader for ingot in continuous casting

ABSTRACT

The leader for removing an ingot from a mold comprises a head including a readily deformable plate, which closes the bottom of the mold, and a refractory block affixed to the plate and projecting into the mold. The block is friable or readily deformable and has a transverse cross section which is smaller than the interior cross section of the mold.

United States Patent 5 Claims, 1 Drawing Fig.

US. Cl

Int. Cl B221] 11/08 Field of Search 164/82, 274, 282

Primary Examiner-J. Spencer Overholser Assistant Examiner-R. Spencer Annear Attorney-Kurt Kelman ABSTRACT: The leader for removing an ingot from a mold comprises a head including a readily deformable plate, which closes the bottom of the mold, and a refractory block affixed to the plate and projecting into the mold. The block is friable or readily deformable and has a transverse cross section 'which is smaller than the interior cross section of the mold.

1.8 7 j j 14 so? I6 Q\ j r-IZ 22 22 f LEADER FOR lNGOT [N CONTINUOUS CASTING The present invention relates to leaders for use in a continuous ingot casting installation incorporating a rolling mill for the cast ingots.

Leaders are used to remove cast ingots from their molds in such installations. At the start of casting the metal melt, the head of the leader is placed into the open bottom of the mold to close the same, The melt is then poured into the mold and, as it solidifies, it becomes attached to the head of the leader. When the leader is pulled, it moves the attached ingot with it out of the mold, at a desired speed.

The end of the ingot which is fused to the leader head cools very rapidly because a large quantity of head it removed therefrom by the heat conducting leader. Thus, its temperature is below the value useful for the subsequent rolling operation. Therefore, it is impossible to roll the ingot end, and it is necessary to move the rolls of the rolling mill apart to permit the ingot end to pass therethrough, whereupon the nip between the rolls must be adjusted to the desired gage, which complicates the operation.

It is the primary object of this invention to obviate the above and other disadvantages, and to produce such an ingot end that it may be rolled even at low temperature.

This is accomplished in accordance with the invention with a leader head which includes a plate of readily deformable or breakable material and a block of a friable or readily deformable refractory material affixed to the plate and projecting into the mold. The plate is of the same configuration as the open mold end for closing the same before casting, and the transverse cross section of the block is smaller than the interior cross section of the mold.

During casting in the ingot mold, the ingot is fused to the leader around the refractory block so that the section of metal at the ingot end adjacent the leader is reduced. Since the block is easily broken or deformed, the end of the ingot encompassing this block may be readily crushed so that it can pass between the rolls of the rolling mill without the necessity of moving the rolls apart.

The above and other objects, advantages and features of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of a now preferred embodiment, taken in conjunction with the accompanying single FIGURE of the drawing.

The leader 26 is shown to have a longitudinally extending bore 24 at one end thereof to receive the shaft serving as a connecting element for affixing the head to the leader. The shaft 10 is detachably mounted in the bore by means of a pin 28 extending through registering transverse bores in the leader and shaft, thus making it possible rapidly to separate the ingot 18 from the leader after the ingot has been removed from the ingot mold 30 wherein it has been cast. All that is required is to remove pin 28 from the bores it engages.

The head of the leader includes a plate 20 of a readily deformable or breakable material, for instance sheet metal,

such as an iron sheet, of a suitable gage. The plate 20 is of the same configuration as the open bottom end of the mold for closing the mold before casting begins, as shown.

The inner surface of the plate facing the interior of the mold is covered by a heat insulating layer 22, for instance of asbestos, to prevent the plate 20 from being damaged by the melt cast into the mold for producing the ingot 18.

The leader head further includes a block 16 of a friable or readily deformable refractory material affixed to the plate and projecting into the mold. The transverse cross section of the block 16 is smaller than the interior cross section of mold 30.

Embedded in block 16 and projecting partially therefrom is an anchoring means 14 serving to connect the leader head to cast ingot 18. in the illustrated embodiment, a cross piece 12 is arranged at the inner end of the connecting shaft 10 and has welded thereto a Y-piece 14 consisting of a metal element partially split down the middle, with two divergent branches being bent outwardly and projecting beyond the surface of the refractory block 116.

he transverse cross section of leader 26 is smaller than that of the ingot 18 so that it may pass into the rolling mill without the necessity of the rolls being moved apart.

The above'described apparatus operates as follows:

At the start of casting, when the head of the leader is in engagement with the open bottom end of the mold, the melt is poured into the mold to fill the space between the walls of the mold 30 and the refractory block 16 of the head. The projecting ends of the branches of the anchoring element 14 will thus become embedded in the cast metal so that the ingot is securely attached to the leader after the cast metal has solidified. The ingot may then be readily pulled out of the ingot mold by means of the leader to which it has become attached.

When the ingot is placed between the rolls of the rolling mill, its end may be readily rolled although its temperature is relatively low because it comprises only a-small cross section of metal and the refractory block 16 is readily crushed. The plate 20 is deformed or broken as the ingot end passes between the rolls of the rolling mill and, therefore, does not interfere with the rolling operation. Thus, it is not necessary to adjust the nip between the rolls after the end of the ingot has passed therethrough. It will also be noted that the waste end of the ingot is very short since it does not extend substantially beyond the height of block 16.

The exact shape and dimensions of block 16 obviously will depend on the ingot mold. If the latter has a circular or square transverse cross section. The block may be a body of revolution. if it is rectangular, the block may be elongated. in this case, several connecting shafts may be used for affixing the head to the leader. Other conventional connecting means between the head and the leader may also be used.

Any refractory material conventionally used for linings of metallurgical furnaces may be used for block 16, such as dolomite or clay materials, preferably containing no more than 40 percent alumina. l have found useful materials for the purpose to be Levral" (produced by Didierwerke, Germany) containing 40 percent silica and 40 percent alumina, and "JM 23 (produced by Johns Manville) containing 44 percent silica and 39 percent alumina.

I claim:

11. A leader to be fused to an ingot during casting in an ingot mold and for removal of the cast ingot through an open of the mold, comprising a head including:

1. a plate of readily deformable or breakable material, the plate being of the same configuration as the open mold end for closing the same before casting, and

2. a block of a friable or readily deformable refractory material afi'lxed to the plate and projecting into the mold, a. the transverse cross section of the block being smaller than the interior cross section of the mold.

2. The leader of claim 1, wherein the longitudinal cross section of the block tapers inwardly from the plate.

3. The leader of claim I, further comprising a heat insulating layer covering the inner surface of the plate facing the interior of the mold.

4. The leader of claim 1, further comprising anchoring means for the ingot, the anchoring means being embedded in the block and projecting therefrom.

5. The leader of claim 4, further comprising a connecting element detachably mounted on the leader for affixing the head to the leader, and said anchoring means is affixed to the connecting element. 

1. A leader to be fused to an ingot during casting in an ingot mold and for removal of the cast ingot through an open of the mold, comprising a head including:
 1. a plate of readily deformable or breakable material, the plate being of the same configuration as the open mold end for closing the same before casting, and
 2. a block of a friable or readily deformable refractory material affixed to the plate and projecting into the mold, a. the transverse cross section of the block being smalLer than the interior cross section of the mold.
 2. a block of a friable or readily deformable refractory material affixed to the plate and projecting into the mold, a. the transverse cross section of the block being smalLer than the interior cross section of the mold.
 2. The leader of claim 1, wherein the longitudinal cross section of the block tapers inwardly from the plate.
 3. The leader of claim 1, further comprising a heat insulating layer covering the inner surface of the plate facing the interior of the mold.
 4. The leader of claim 1, further comprising anchoring means for the ingot, the anchoring means being embedded in the block and projecting therefrom.
 5. The leader of claim 4, further comprising a connecting element detachably mounted on the leader for affixing the head to the leader, and said anchoring means is affixed to the connecting element. 